Depends on what other thing you are planning to do with the computer and what you want to spend. If you use USB to connect to your dac consider something like a femto USB card they are expensive. For hard drives PCIe instead of sata easier on the CPU. There are some fanless cases but if you use fans use large as you can get in the case. Get the best CPU with the most cores you can afford , most memory you can afford, won't tax the computer as much and will run cooler and quiter.
Building an AUDIOPHILE friendly PC from scratch so what is a must to consider in 2020?
First thing-I realize there are computer audio web sites out there, but I would really like to know what the wise members of AGON have done or would do when looking at ensuring a QUIET PC can coexist when playing music in a mixed use office/listening room. Current Windows 7 desktop serves as my central ROON location. It directs audio sources( mostly streamed via TIDAL and RADIO PARADISE) to my system. I switch between an ALLO USbridge that runs USB to an MHDT Orchid DAC ("NOS tube days") or a CARY DMS-500 streamer/DAC ("DSD, Over-sample days"). Despite the problems it can add, I even on occasion use TIDAL's own PC based player. Regardless, the PC is always on doing something!
SO.... when seeking to maintain signal integrity AND limiting PC generated noise in my room ......are there some absolutes to consider when building from scratch? ( type of hard drive/SSD, power supply, pc case, cooling fan, network switch or specific style or brand to use of any?) KEEP IN MIND- I am not only looking to limit the corruption of any audio involving my PC but I also am really looking to LIMIT the NOISE the actual PC makes when I am trying to just listen to music while working ! Has anyone out there had any luck?
(***I realize Ipad, Iphone, can control everything via WiFi but my situation requires a desk top PC) Thanks!
SO.... when seeking to maintain signal integrity AND limiting PC generated noise in my room ......are there some absolutes to consider when building from scratch? ( type of hard drive/SSD, power supply, pc case, cooling fan, network switch or specific style or brand to use of any?) KEEP IN MIND- I am not only looking to limit the corruption of any audio involving my PC but I also am really looking to LIMIT the NOISE the actual PC makes when I am trying to just listen to music while working ! Has anyone out there had any luck?
(***I realize Ipad, Iphone, can control everything via WiFi but my situation requires a desk top PC) Thanks!
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Many great insights-Thank You! The most often mentioned point both in research and here absolutely agrees on the importance of choice of hard drive and its SSD by a MILE.. Of which- My builder says an M.2 drive is the best route within this area. If anyone else has experience with M.2 and any potential implications on audio- please let me know. (OS on one smaller drive-everything else on a much larger 1TB plus second drive) As much as a Teradak linear power supply would seem to really make sense coming from our "audio first" point of view -it seems pricey- if even available at this time- for the little ROI it might provide -especially if Cary DMS- 500 is doing most of heavy lifting from Roon's direction. Either way -All great points! |
Any new SSD will have plenty of speed to stream audio. M.2 is damn convenient, but don’t bother overspending. If this is dedicated for audio get the biggest, slowest M.2 drive you can. 😀. The top of the line Samsung Evo Pro will be severe overkill for speed. Better to vet a larger past gen model for the same price. |
I see no reason why an M.2 drive for the OS and and a 1 TB SSD in either the M.2 format or the SATA format for everything else wouldn’t be fine choices, assuming a fairly recent motherboard is chosen which can accept M.2 drives. For the computer I mentioned earlier that I built last year I chose the following well reviewed drives (in addition to a 4 TB HDD for additional storage), although the M.2 is a good deal larger than what you would need for just the OS: https://www.newegg.com/samsung-970-pro-512gb/p/N82E16820147693 https://www.newegg.com/samsung-860-evo-series-1tb/p/N82E16820147673 I can’t say, though, how optimal such a computer would be from an audio standpoint when connected directly (i.e., via wires) to an audio system. When I play music from that computer, which is not one of my main sources (although it provides excellent results), and which is located in a different part of the house from my main audio system, it communicates via wifi with a Squeezebox Touch, which in turn is connected to my audio system via an optical S/PDIF cable. If it would be of interest I can list the rest of the components I chose for this computer. It has worked smoothly and perfectly (and quietly!) from the very first time it was powered up, although as I indicated earlier it would be overkill for your purposes. Good luck. Regards, -- Al |
M.2 drives are now cheaper than sata as well as faster. https://www.newegg.com/intel-660p-series-1tb/p/N82E16820167462 You mentioned Audiophile computer which is why I suggested the Jcat femto USB card but it’s about $500 I wasn’t sure if you were putting it close to your USB dac. https://shop.highend-audiopc.com/products/jcat-usb-card-femto |
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